Six-time MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav was arrested by Patna Police late Friday night at his residence in connection with a case dating back to 1995. He was arrested amid high-voltage drama at his house in Mandiri locality. Speaking to reporters, Yadav linked the police’s action to his ongoing protest in favour of the alleged rape and death case of a girl medical aspirant residing in a hostel in Patna.
Pappu Yadav, who won the last Lok Sabha poll in 2024 as an Independent candidate from Purnea constituency, was arrested due to his repeated absence from hearings in the court, police said.
Tense situation unfolded at Yadav’s residence when a police team arrived to execute a warrant issued by an MP/MLA court in the case registered under section 467 (forgery of documents) of the Indian Penal Code.
Pappu Yadav initially refused to accompany the police team, arguing that they only had a warrant for property attachment, not for his arrest. However, he was later taken into custody and is set to be presented before a competent court on Saturday.
The police arrived at Yadav’s residence shortly after he returned from New Delhi, where he had attended the ongoing Parliament session.
“A warrant has been issued against the MP by the MP/MLA court here in connection with a 1995 case lodged under Section 467 (forgery of documents) of the IPC. The police team has gone to his house to produce him before the court tomorrow," Senior Superintendent of Police, Patna, Kartikeya Sharma, told PTI.
A large number of Yadav’s supporters gathered at his residence, many of whom engaged in heated arguments with police personnel during the operation.
Speaking to reporters before his arrest, Yadav said that he had already planned to appear before the court on Saturday.
“I have been telling these police personnel that I shall be appearing before the court tomorrow. In fact, that is the very reason I came here today. But, of course, I will not hand myself over to them," he said.
Yadav, a controversial MP, a history-sheeter and former chief of the Jan Adhikar Party, accused the police of casual conduct and claimed some personnel were in plain clothes.
“They are misbehaving with my supporters and me. Moreover, they failed to furnish an arrest warrant when I asked for the same. All that they could produce was a warrant to attach my property," Yadav said.
He further claimed that he was being targeted for raising critical issues against the state government.
